X2Y2: The New Generation
by Storm0228
Summary: Ivy's plan was simple: Register for the League, master the Battle Bond, and become Champion. Unfortunately, that plan is definitely not as easy as she thought, and several people are desperate to steal the Bond phenomenon's power for themselves. (My sequel to XYZ)
1. A Clean Slate to Start On

**This story has been brewing in my head for a long time, so I hope you all enjoy it!**

 **Disclaimer: I definitely don't own Pokemon (Either the franchise or, unfortunately, an actual pokemon).**

* * *

IVY

Dex season was here. And the citizens of Lumiose City knew that it was only a matter of time before kids would take to the streets in droves, eager to get a partner to perform or battle with.

And Ivy was no exception.

She raced through the city, hoping the map she'd been given was accurate and that she wasn't late. She couldn't be late, not on the most important day of her life.

Two kids walked by her towards the local gym, talking excitedly to each other as their pokeballs glinted on their belts. Ivy glanced at them enviously as they passed. _Soon,_ she thought _, I'll be a trainer too. Like they are._

After passing rows of cafes and boutiques, she saw it- Sycamore's lab. A tall, cream-colored building, and the home of her future starter. She whooped and doubled her speed.

* * *

The gate creaked as Ivy pushed it open. As she walked down the path, she went over what to say in her head. _Hi, I'm Ivy from Vaniville City and I want a starter… Hello, my name's Ivy and I'd like to have a pokemon..._

A bell chimed when she opened the door. Ivy stepped into a brightly colored room about two stories tall. Sunlight streamed in from the windows lining the walls. A carpeted staircase swirled up to the upper floor. Several chairs were arranged in one corner, and a brown haired boy around her age was already sitting in one. "Hello?" she called.

"Welcome," said a woman, appearing from the top of the stairs. "You must be starting your journey, right? The professor will be here shortly." She gestured to the chairs. "In the meantime, why don't you take a seat?"

Ivy sat down in a stiff chair, bouncing with excitement. She tried to smooth her spiky black hair before the professor came. She could never seem to tame it the way her mom could. Then again, if she hadn't left the house before both of her parents woke up, she wouldn't have had this problem.

 _It's okay,_ she thought. _Once they see how great my starter is,_ _mom and dad wouldn't be too upset at me leaving early, right? Besides, I wrote a note explaining where I'd go._ And on top of that, she was twelve- almost thirteen. She was old enough to go to places by herself.

 _You'll get in trouble anyway,_ said the logical part of her head. Ivy hoped that it was wrong.

* * *

Her thoughts were interrupted when the professor came in whistling. "Hey there," he said, holding up a case with three pokeballs inside. "I've got your starters ready."

The two kids walked over as he set the box on a nearby table. "Oh, and you'll need these as well," he added, reaching into his coat pockets and pulling out two dexes. He handed them to Ivy and the boy. "These are the new pokedexes. I'm sure you learned about them in school."

Ivy looked inside the velvety case. Inside one ball she could see a fennekin struggling to break free, rocking the ball as it tried to get out. Another one held a chespin curled up and asleep. Finally she saw the one she was looking for- the pokeball with a froakie inside. It looked up at her curiously as she picked up its ball.

She was already thinking about what it would look like after it fully evolved. A veil of water would swirl around it as it took down mega-evolved pokemon twice its size. Just like dad's greninja did.

The boy came over next, holding up his dex over the remaining pokeballs. "Fennekin: the fox pokemon," reported a cool female voice coming from the device. "Eating a twig fills it with energy, and its roomy ears give vent to air hotter than 390 degrees fahrenheit." He moved it over the chespin next. "Chespin: the spiny nut pokemon. The quills on its head are usually soft. When it flexes them, the points become so hard and sharp they can pierce rock."

He looked judgingly as the chespin snored away inside the pokeball. "I'm taking this one," he said, holding up the fennekin's ball. Chespin didn't even wake up as one of the lab assistants took it and carried it away.

"Well, good luck on your journey, you two," said Sycamore. The woman who had greeted Ivy earlier handed them two red bags with pokeballs inside. "Oh, and Ivy?" she looked up. The professor was smiling. "Tell your father I said hi. He's come a long way since he began his adventures here, you know."

* * *

Ivy skipped down the path, elated. She'd done it. She'd finally gotten her starter, and soon she'd be on her way to take down a few gyms. Now all she had to do was take the metro back to Vaniville, apologize to her parents, get her things, and she'd be on her way.

As she went down the tree-lined lane to the station, she noticed that the boy from the lab was still walking ahead of her. Apparently, he was going to the train too. They went into a narrow alley, and Ivy knew it would have the metro station's entrance waiting on the other side.

Suddenly, two people leapt out in front of them, blocking the way. They both had the same orange suits and hair, and were looking at the kids with predatory grins on their faces."Well, well," one of them said. "Two little kids straight from the lab." A scraggy cracked its knuckles threateningly by her side.

The boy stopped to a screeching halt and Ivy nearly crashed right into him. "Get out of the way," he snapped at them. On his shoulder, his fennekin growled in agreement.

"Oh, we'll be glad to,"Orange Girl drawled. "Once you both hand over your pokemon, that is."

* * *

 **So, what did you think of the first chapter? Was it too short or boring? Or too fast-paced? Leaving a review is completely optional, of course, but it would really help so that I know how to improve this story. :)**


	2. The First Battle

IVY

After sneaking out of her house and traveling for miles to get to Lumiose City, Ivy was _not_ about to let her pokemon get taken by two clowns dressed like giant carrots. And the boy seemed to be thinking somewhere along those lines, too.

"Go, fennekin! Use Ember!" he shouted.

Fennekin jumped off his shoulder. A ball of fire collected in its mouth and shot towards the enemy scraggy. The scraggy leaped aside just in time, and the fire ball hit the orange woman's pants as it went by. She cursed as she put out the flames.

The other carrot girl laughed. "How embarrassing," she said to her. "And you thought that you could actually have a _name_ in this team!" She tossed out a pokeball. "Zubat, show her how it's done!"

A blue, eyeless pokemon flew out from the ball. Ivy shuddered. She'd seen this pokemon attack local trainers in swarms whenever they tried exploring a cave, and she didn't want the same thing happening to her. But she took out her pokeball anyway. "Froakie, let's go! Use Bubble!"

Froakie popped out, looking determined. Until the zubat came flying straight at it with its fangs bared, and the froakie jumped away in terror.

" I told you to use Bubble," Ivy protested. Her pokemon paid no attention and started climbing up the alley wall.

This definitely wasn't how Ivy expected it to go. The zubat started making a rasping sound that she could've sworn was laughter.

"Use Ember again!" said the boy. This time, the fireball attack actually hit. The zubat was now fluttering lopsidedly, with a hole burned into one of its wings. It managed to send a blast of wind into fennekin's direction before plummeting to the ground.

Fennekin stumbled. Sensing an oppurtunity, the scraggy lunged, ready to deliver a headbutt attack. But it didn't notice as Ivy's froakie dropped down silently above it. Froakie punched the scraggy in the head as hard as it could, and there was a dull crunching sound as the attack hit.

The scraggy was still standing, but it was staggering around with a dazed look in its eyes.

"Use Pound," Ivy called. The froakie took a deep breath. It closed its eyes and shot forward and kicked. And the scraggy finally collapsed.

The two pokemon thieves both slumped to the floor in frustration. "Oh, come on," said the scraggy's owner. "I could've won if your zubat wasn't in the way." "You're the one who was being incompetent to begin with!" her friend snapped. "Imagine, being beaten by _children_!"

Then they started arguing with each other, not noticing as Ivy and the boy brought their starters back into their pokeballs and slipped off to the metro station.

* * *

She felt extremely happy. Despite her froakie almost running away, she'd won. And it wasn't a fight on a battle simulator, or even a mock-battle in class. Most importantly, she'd won with her very own pokemon, too, instead of a borrowed one from the Trainer's School.

Once they were far away enough from Orange #1 and #2, the boy spoke up. "Thanks for the help, um..." "It's Ivy," she said. "Oh," he said. "Well, thanks, Ivy. My name's Leo."

They arrived at the station just in time to see the train Ivy was supposed to take speed away to Vaniville without her.

She froze in shock. The next train to get home was in one hour, so there was no way she was coming home in time now.

She bought tickets for the next Vaniville train anyway. _At least I still have my pokemon with me,_ she reasoned. But she still couldn't stop thinking about what would happen once she got home. Hopefully, they'd still be asleep.

But maybe they would ground her. _Maybe they might even stop me from being a trainer,_ she thought with a sinking feeling. And that battle to keep froakie would be for nothing.

"So, what are you going to do?" Leo asked. Ivy looked up. He was sitting on a bench close by, with his fennekin sitting on his lap. "I mean," he clarified, "there's the Showcases coming up soon, and the Connoisseur Tests, and then there's also the gyms to challenge…" his voice trailed off.

"Well, I'm going to take on the Kalos League," Ivy said. "It'll start in a few months, so I've got plenty of time to get eight badges."

"That's what I'll be doing, too," he said. "Maybe we'll battle each other at the tournament."

A blue-striped train arrived and Leo got up. "Well, there's my ride. See ya." He left, leaving Ivy to wait for the next fifty-five minutes by herself.

Finally, her train came. "Lumiose to Vaniville, boarding now. Please stand clear of the doors," said a robotic voice from the speakers. Ivy almost leaped through the doors the second they opened.

She took a seat in the train. Outside, the world zoomed by as the metro started to pick up speed. She watched the view through the windows change from tall, gleaming buildings to smaller towns and shops as they left the city. Eventually, Lumiose Tower was completely out of sight, and the train started to hurtle through the forest.

* * *

She was almost to the door of her house when she suddenly shot into the sky.

It was like an invisible net had scooped her up, and no matter how much she struggled, she couldn't get herself free. There was really only one thing she could do.

"I told you not to do that," she grumbled. From the doorway, the family delphox smiled innocently as it let Ivy down.

"Well, if a certain someone had asked permission before they went to another city," said her mother, appearing next to the pokemon, "they wouldn't need to sneak back in."

Ivy gulped.

Serena Ketchum wasn't the type of mom that got angry often. But today was an exception.

"What were you _thinking_?" she said as she marched Ivy to the living room. "You didn't even have a pokemon when you arrived at Lumiose!" Her voice rose. "Don't you know how worried I've been? Delphox showed me how you were even attacked by pokemon thieves."

The delphox was looking very proud of itself as it projected an image on the wall of the orange-suited people jumping in front of Ivy and Leo.

"But I beat them," Ivy protested. "And I _did_ get a pokemon, see?" She held up the pokeball so that the froakie was easy to see inside.

"But you could have been hurt or worse, kidnapped," continued her mother. "You should have actually told us where you were going instead of just leaving a note."

Ivy was really feeling guilty now."I'm sorry,"she muttered.

There was a pause.

"Haven't you ever wanted something so badly that you'd go far away from home?" Ivy blurted out suddenly. "Without anything to help you?"

"Well…." her mother's voice trailed off, apparently caught by surprise.

"...Yes," she admitted at last. "I have."

"So, I can still go challenge the gym today, right?"

Her mother hesitated. "Well, you can..." Ivy's heart leapt. "...Once you finish doing _all_ of the chores," her mom finished. "Including cleaning the talonflame's cage. Arceus knows it'll be a while before League season arrives and that bird gets in a pokeball again."

Ivy sighed and picked up the fireproof disinfectant. She knew she deserved it. But at least she could go battle the gym leader soon, so it wasn't the worst punishment she could've gotten.

* * *

LEO

There was a crash as Leo's mom dropped the plate she was holding. It shattered on the floor, but she didn't seem to care.

"Are you sure?" she asked him. "You're sure that they've returned?"

She looked calm, but Leo saw how white her knuckles were from clenching her fists. Her blue-gray eyes scanned his, desperately searching for any sign of lying.

"I'm very sure. Some of their members ambushed me and another trainer today, demanding that we hand over our starters," he said. "They were wearing orange suits and glasses like you described. One even referred to themselves as a 'team'."

His mother started to pick up pieces of the broken plate. "Unbelievable," she seethed. "After all that work of covering up what that Zygarde incident had to do with our family, and now…"

"I know, Mom. But Ly-" he caught himself before he said the name. "-their boss died more than twenty years ago. And their new leader most likely doesn't have anything to do with us."

"I certainly hope so," she said, dumping the last bits of china into the garbage.

Then her expression softened. "You're beginning your journey, so I've packed all your things for you." She gestured to a backpack propped on the couch. "And call me every once in a while during your trip, okay?"

"I will," he promised, taking the backpack. And before he walked out of the house, he smoothed down his hair as much as he could, so that it wouldn't spike up.

Just in case.

"Remember, our gym is being renovated," she called from the patio. "You'll have to go to another city."

He passed by the garden's pond on his way. A milotic rose from the depths and waved its beautiful tail like it was waving goodbye. "Bye, Milo," he said. "I'll miss you." Milo leaned against his hand affectionately. Then it slipped beneath the water as Leo walked away.

* * *

IVY

Talonflame cooed as Ivy petted it. Its cage was finally sparkling clean, as well as the other pokemon's sleeping areas. "Done," she called.

"That's good," her mom said, coming into the backyard too. She looked at the fully-cleaned backyard with approval. "It definitely looks like everything's done. Now you can go and challenge Winter."

Ivy nodded, her blue eyes shining. She grabbed a bag and put the six pokeballs inside, along with money and a map of the region. "Bye, mom!" she called.

Then she walked out, pulling on a dark blue vest over her black clothes, and then she was gone.


	3. Hitting the Vaniville Gym

**IVY**

There was a zapping sound as the gastly vanished into its new pokeball. "Yes!" Ivy cheered. It had taken a while, but the Ghost and Poison type pokemon had finally been weakened enough to be caught.

"Hey, Ivy!" said a familiar voice. "I heard you've gotten your starter now."she turned. A boy with sandy blonde hair was coming up to meet her, with a chespin riding on his head. "Let me guess- you got a froakie, didn't you?"

"Hi, Oliver," she said, smiling. "Yep, I did."

"Great, now the both of us can start on our journeys," he said, his green eyes lighting up. "You'll be a great battle bond master soon, and I'll prove to Aunt Korrina that I can be a gym leader!"

"You know that the bond phenomenon is rare," she reminded him. But deep inside she felt flattered.

He'd been her next-door neighbor for as long as she could remember. And ever since she'd told him about her goal, he'd told her everything he knew about how pokemon's strength grew because of the bonds they shared with their trainers.

And because his ancestors were among the first people to use Mega Evolution, he knew quite a lot.

"You'll be more likely to achieve it the more you battle using Froakie," he said. "And that's what the gyms are for! Come on!"

* * *

Cold air blasted out as Oliver opened the gym's wooden doors. They stepped out onto a glittering platform that looked like it was carved entirely from ice. Stairs on either side led down to the main floor below, where several trainers on ice skates were gliding by.

"Welcome to the Vaniville Gym," a soft voice called out as Ivy made her way down the steps. "I assume you're here to challenge me."

Standing in the center of the room was a woman wearing a sparkly ice skater's outfit more fancier than the others. Her dark blue hair was pulled back in an elegant twist.

Ivy had seen her before- it was Winter, Vaniville's gym leader and self-proclaimed "snow queen".

"I will," said Ivy. "And I'll do my best to earn my first gym badge!"

"In that case, I hope you're well prepared, trainer," said Winter. Light gleamed off the pokeballs strapped to her belt. She removed one and expertly tossed it in the air. "Because this battle won't be easy!"

With a flash of light, a vanillite floated out of its ball, awaiting orders. The temperature seemed to drop as it entered the battlefield.

"Froakie, I choose you!" Ivy shouted. It hopped out from its pokeball, ready to fight.

"Battle begin!" called the referee. Ivy and Winter locked eyes. The battle was on!

Ivy moved first. "Use Quick Attack!" Her froakie leaped forward towards the vanillite at an unbelievable speed.

"Use Icicle Spear," Winter commanded. But before her pokemon could attack, Froakie had already hit it. The vanillite crashed to the ground and skidded across the icy floor. Shards of ice fell from the sky alongside it.

"Use Bubble," Ivy called. And a stream of bubbles surrounded the vanillite and hit all at once.

Winter's eyes narrowed. "Vanillite, use Astonish!" It nodded. Then it rose shakily into the sky with a glowing red smile and red eyes projected on its face.

 _Uh oh,_ Ivy thought. She knew how scared Froakie became when it saw that zubat. She hoped it wouldn't try to run away again.

Thankfully, it didn't. But it also didn't exactly stand its ground either. Instead, Froakie took one look at the scary face approaching it and jumped right back into its ball with a very undignified squeaking noise.

The scary face vanished and Winter's vanillite started snickering.

Ivy tried to ignore it, but her face burned with embarrassment. She walked over and gave the pokeball a little shake. "Come on out," she coaxed. "It's going to be okay."

Froakie didn't come out.

"Alrighty, then, Gastly, let's go! Use Smog!" Purple gas swirled out of the pokeball as Gastly emerged. Its body completely dissolved into smoke as it enveloped the vanillite.

Already weakened by Froakie, Vanillite fainted as it was hit by clouds of gas. It vanished into its pokeball and was replaced by a glaceon.

"Use Icy Wind!" Winter ordered.

A burst of cold wind shot out at Gastly, and it looked panicked as it started to come apart. "Don't give up, Gastly!" Ivy said. "Paralyze it with Lick!"

Gastly descended on Glaceon, ready to strike. But then sand spiraled outwards at Gastly, right into its eyes. Ivy knew what this was immediately- Glaceon had used Sand Attack. Gastly swerved around, struggling to stay together and unable to see.

"Icy Wind again!"

And just like that, Gastly was out of the battle.

Gastly drifted back inside its ball, defeated. "Go, Froakie!" Ivy called. "Use Pound!" _It's a Glaceon,_ she told herself. _Froakie can't get scared by that._

"Froak froakie!" it said as it appeared again. It seemed like it wanted to make up for jumping away, and it slammed into the Glaceon at full speed. Glaceon stumbled, looking a little winded. "You're doing great, Froakie! Finish it up with your Bubble attack!"

"Not so fast," Winter said softly. It was amazing how she could make her voice heard, even when she hardly raised it. "Double Team."

Froakie looked stunned when it saw copies of Glaceon appear and surround it. Ivy could see it was starting to look scared again. "Use Bubble on all of them!" she shouted quickly. "Only one of them is real!"

The bubble frog pokemon hesitated. But one by one, the images of the glaceon rippled away as they were hit. Finally, only one of them was left. "Finish it off with Quick Attack!"

Froakie careened into Glaceon so fast that Ivy could barely see it. Then it jumped away before Glaceon could strike back.

There was a tense moment as both pokemon stood on the battlefield, exhausted.

And then Glaceon collapsed to the floor.

"Glaceon is unable to battle," said the referee. "Froakie is the winner!"

She had won.

* * *

"Well done, challenger," said Winter as she returned Glaceon to her pokeball. "You've earned the Diamond Badge." She skated over with the badge in her pale hand. It was shaped, obviously, like a diamond, and glittered in shades of blue and white.

"Keep your cool, even in rough situations," Winter said as she handed it over. "And your chances of winning will increase."

"Thank you, Winter," said Ivy respectfully as she took the badge. It felt cool and light against her hand. As she turned it over, she saw the snowflake pattern shine inside.

* * *

"That was great, Ivy," said Oliver as they left the gym. The sun was setting, turning the sky red and gold. It was time to start setting up camp somewhere.

"Do you want to go on a journey together?" Ivy asked him as they walked. Oliver stopped in surprise. "I mean," she said awkwardly, "I'll be going to Santalune next and you can see their gym leader fight and you can get experience, and…" her voice trailed off.

"Sure," he smiled. "We've been best friends since we were little. Of course I'd want to travel with you. " He brought out his chespin. "What do you say, Marie?"

"Chespin ches," it said happily.

"Alright!" Oliver cheered. "I'll just go over it with my parents, and then Santalune City, here we come!"


	4. A Surprise Attack

**A special thank-you to Batprime for following! :D**

IVY

Gastly fluttered exhaustedly in the pokeball, with chips of ice still floating in its protective layer of gas. The Icy Wind had definitely hit it hard. In the neighboring pokeball, Froakie didn't look too well either.

Ivy felt angry at herself. She and Oliver had already gone off into the forest, and she realized just now that her pokemon needed to be healed. _Some trainer I am! Dad would never make a mistake like this._

"Hey, do you know where the Pokemon Center could be?" she asked. It was darkening by the minute, and branches and tall grass kept getting in the way.

"No, not really," Oliver said. He looked worried. "To be honest, I don't know where _anything_ is right now."

"But we do!" said a shrill voice. Three Nurse Joys stepped out in front of them. It was too dim to see that well, but she could've sworn one of them was… a cat pokemon?

"We'll take you to the nearest PC right away!" said one of them in a high-pitched tone, reaching out for the pokeballs on Ivy's belt. "We'll even carry your pokemon there ourselves!"

"I-I think I can take them there on my own, thanks," said Ivy, stepping away. The Nurse Joy's wig flew off as she tripped and fell down at Ivy's feet.

"Oh, don't sweat it, hon. It's a complimentary service!" Fake Joy said. She got up surprisingly fast and lunged.

Panic gripped at Ivy's throat. Froakie and Gastly were in no shape to fight. And Oliver might have been training to become a Gym Leader, but he couldn't risk taking on three trainers at once. "Just who are you, anyway?" she shouted at them, pushing away the Fake Joy.

All three Joys threw off their disguises with a flourish.

"Prepare for trouble, we'll show you 'just who'!" said the girl who had just attacked her. Ivy saw that she had short magenta hair.

"We'll take your pokemon, like all Rockets do!" added Fake Joy #2. They looked like they were twins.

" _To protect the world from devastation!"_

Ivy slowly started backing away.

" _To unite all peoples within our nation!"_

She nudged Oliver. "Let's go," she mouthed. He nodded.

" _To denounce the evils of truth and love!"_

Ivy and Oliver started to run faster. The 'Rockets', or whatever they were called, didn't notice.

" _To extend our reach to the stars above!"_

"Jack!"

"Taylor!"

"The Rocket Twins blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare for a completely unexpected f-"

The third Nurse Joy (which was really a Meowth balancing on a Wobbuffet) interrupted them furiously. "What do you bozos tink you're doin'?! Don't ya see dose two twoips escaped?"

Jack and Taylor paused. "Wait, they can do that?" said Jack. "I thought they're not supposed to run from a trainer battle!"

"It doesn't matter!" Taylor snapped. "They obviously have that Pikachu! Once we steal it, we'll strike it rich!"

"Oy, vey," Meowth sighed, putting his face in his paws. _Those twins are dumber than their parents, if that's even possible,_ he thought.

* * *

Ivy didn't stop running until she was out of breath. Next to her, Oliver dropped to his knees in exhaustion. They were pretty sure that those people wouldn't find them now. But any real Nurse Joy wouldn't find them either.

Then she saw a light flickering in the darkness.

Ivy rubbed her eyes, thinking she might have imagined it. Then it came closer, and she realized that it was a fire.

"Hello?" she called.

"Who's there?" said another familiar voice. "Ivy? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me," she said, relieved. "I didn't expect to see you here, Leo."

Leo stepped towards them, his face illuminated by the fire sparking in Fennekin's ears. "Well, after I beat the Vaniville Gym, I came here to camp out for the night. Are you guys lost?"

"Yeah, we're looking for the Pokemon Center. Any idea where it is?"

Leo nodded. "It's not that far. I can take you there, if you like." A feline pokemon emerged from the darkness, preening itself. "Come on, Purrloin. A trip to Nurse Joy never hurt anyone."

* * *

They were almost to the Pokemon Center when a Shadow Ball shot straight at them. It exploded at their feet, crackling with black energy.

A Meowth-shaped balloon rose into the sky above them. It looked old and rather worn, but it was still sturdy enough to hold the two magenta-haired twins posing dramatically inside. "Surprise, twerps!" they shouted. "Team Rocket's back!"

That didn't have the effect they expected.

"Team who?" Leo said, looking as unimpressed as his pokemon did.

"They must be like those guys that stalked my dad for six years," Ivy realized.

The twins exploded with frustration. "We're _not_ stalkers! We're members of the strongest criminal organization in Kanto!" said the boy. "And we'll show you right now that you've gotta take us seriously!"

Mechanical claws shot out and snatched Purrloin and Chespin from their owner's arms. Then they swung away with Purrloin yowling in protest.

"Marie!" shouted Oliver.

He reached into his bag and threw out a new pokeball. "Lulu, let's help get them back!" A riolu jumped out, flipping and twisting in the air. "Start off with Swords Dance and then Low Sweep!"

Glowing swords interlocked above the riolu as it leaped towards the balloon, ready to strike.

"Oh no you don't," shouted Taylor. "Espurr, let's go!"

An espurr popped out from the balloon, unfolding its ears. Lulu's eyes went wide as purple energy blasted towards it and sent it crumpling to the ground.

"Fennekin, use Ember!" Leo ordered. It nodded and ran across his outstretched arm with a ball of fire collecting in its mouth.

The Ember fired, and there was a whistling sound as it ripped a hole in the balloon.

"Vacuum Wave!" Oliver commanded. Riolu shakily got up, whirling its fists and sending a blast of wind spiraling towards the balloon.

Taylor turned to glare at her brother. "This would never have happened if you just stole _Pikachu_ instead of these low-level pokemon!"

Before he could respond, the wave of energy slammed into the balloon, ripping the metal claws off and sending the balloon shooting upwards with Team Rocket still inside.

"We're blasting off on our first day!" they complained as they vanished into the sky.

The claws from the balloon landed on the ground, and Purrloin and Chespin jumped out.

"Great work, Lulu!" said Oliver as he high-fived it.

Ivy felt terrible as they all walked up to the Center's door. She knew that her pokemon were too tired to battle, but she hated the fact that she couldn't help out. _That will change. If I'll ever get the Bond Phenomenon, I'll never be useless again._

* * *

"Welcome to the Pokemon Center," said Nurse Joy as they all came in. "Would you like to heal up your pokemon? We can also register you for the Kalos League, if you want."

Ivy smiled despite herself. With a battle bond, she'd finally be as good as her parents. And the League was the perfect place to start.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Ash would definitely make a mistake like that, I know. Anyway, this chapter is a lot longer than the others, but I'm glad I was able to complete it!**


	5. The Bonds of Ash-Greninja!

**Hi guys! Firstly, I'd like to apologize for the superlong delay :/ . I got stuck on writing and I kinda lost inspiration. So, I'm going to make it up to you by pulling out all the stops to write this Ash-Greninja battle!**

 **Thanks for sticking with me, guys!**

* * *

OLIVER

"Registration for the Kalos League is complete," said Nurse Joy. An audino bounced in, carrying a tray with the pokeballs inside. "And your pokemon are all healed as well! We hope to see you again soon."

"Thanks, Nurse Joy," said Oliver, taking his pokemon. Right away, Marie jumped out of the ball and onto her trainer's head.

While the others got their pokeballs back, Oliver took a look at the Pokemon Center's TV. It was showing a massive open-air stadium, where it looked like a battle was starting.

"...And now, please give a warm welcome to the dragon tamer of the Elite Four, Bonnie!" said an announcer onscreen. The crowd cheered. A young woman stood on a platform raised above the battlefield, waving and tossing back short blonde hair. A little green pokemon peeped out from the woman's pocket.

Then the audience went silent as the match began. "Let's do this, Squishy!" Bonnie declared. The green blob hopped out onto the battlefield, ready to face Bonnie's opponent, who was-

"Ivy, look! Your dad's battling! With his Greninja!"

Ivy ran over. "No way," she said, excitement in her voice. There was a burst of light and her froakie jumped out from its ball.

Ash stood confidently on his platform. "Greninja, start off with Water Shuriken!"

"Grenin!" it said in response. Two throwing stars appeared in its hands, shimmering with a blue light. They sailed straight towards Bonnie's pokemon, and Oliver was sure that the little green thing was done for.

Then the Squishy, or whatever it was, started to glow. Streaks of green light shot into the stadium, as if it was calling them. And then it changed, growing longer and more lithe.

A blast of energy seemed to ripple through the stadium, and now a canine pokemon stood in Squishy's place, leaping away before the shurikens hit. "Dragon Pulse!" shouted Bonnie.

Squishy roared. Rainbow-colored energy exploded from its mouth, twisting into the shape of a dragon. Greninja's eyes widened as the shape charged towards it.

"Use Cut!"

A shining white blade sliced through the air as it blocked the dragon from striking. Greninja struggled as the dragon raged against the Cut attack, trying to slash it to pieces.

"Now's our chance, Squishy! Land's Wrath!" Cracks spread on the ground where Squishy was standing. They quickly traveled across the battlefield, glowing with a brighter green than before. Then chunks of the ground blasted skywards, knocking Greninja off balance. The dragon seemed to roar in triumph as it shot into Greninja's chest.

The Ninja Frog Pokemon was sent flying into a corner of the stadium, and crumpled to the floor.

Everything went still.

Ash's eyes narrowed. For a heartbeat, he and Greninja exchanged glances.

And suddenly a veil of water swirled around Greninja, surrounding him.

"NOW!" shouted Ash, thrusting his arm forward. "Greninja! Aerial Ace!"

It lunged with its arm glowing a pale blue. Squishy looked up just Greninja's fist connected with Squishy's face. The doglike pokemon reeled from the impact as Greninja leaped away.

The water veil shattered, and Ash-Greninja stood in its full glory.

"Draco Meteor!" Bonnie yelled, a hint of desperation creeping into her voice.

Squishy hesitated. But then the sky darkened. And sheets of fire rained down on the battlefield, filling the arena with a eerie orange glow.

Pieces of the battlefield kept exploding upwards as Greninja tried to avoid the oncoming barrage of fire. One meteor grazed Greninja's side and Ash cried out, grabbing his own shoulder in pain.

"Water Shuriken," Ash called.

Greninja lunged, yanking the giant shuriken from his back.

"Dragon Pulse! Give it everything you've got!"

Once more the multicolored dragon appeared, launching itself at Greninja with its rainbow fangs bared in a snarl.

The blonde trainer relaxed as the Dragon Pulse got closer to its target, certain that it would take Greninja down.

And then the Water Shuriken burned gold as it sliced the dragon in half.

The shuriken shot straight into Squishy, and the dog flickered tiredly before melting back into a shapeless green blob and collapsing.

"Zygarde is unable to battle," said the referee, waving a flag. "Greninja is the winner!"

Oliver heard his best friend cheer along with the crowd, right there in the Pokemon Center. He couldn't blame her, though. The strength of those pokemon was amazing. If _he_ had power like that, then…

Marie let out a loud yawn, surprising him. He'd almost forgotten that she was there.

"Looks like Marie's a little tired," said Ivy. "I think it's time to go to the campsite now."

"Hey, Ivy? You guys are traveling together, right?"

Ivy turned. "Yeah, why, Leo?"

The boy looked embarrassed at being put on the spot. "Well, I was going to ask if I could come along. We're going to do the same challenge, after all."

"Sure," she said. "The more the merrier, right?

"Come on, Oliver," she said, looking back at him. "That TV's still going to be there tomorrow."

Oliver nodded, finally tearing his eyes away from the screen and following her to the door. He was still replaying the match in his head. It was the best battle he'd ever seen.

* * *

It was the worst battle she'd ever seen.

The woman stood near the Pokemon Center, having watched the battle from looking through the windows. A black cloak hid most of her body and especially her face, but a blood red suit was still visible underneath. "Revolting," she spat in a Unovan accent. "Daring to use such immense power for these trivial things."

Several people in orange suits and sunglasses nodded. If their eyewear was removed, then it would have been easy to see how their eyes were dull and glazed over. But no one knew that all of Flare was hers to command.

Not yet.

"When I am Queen, their power will be put to a greater use," she swore, walking away. A Malamar drifted by her side, and the orange-suited people blindly followed. "And the whole world shall kneel to Madame X!"

* * *

 **It was a lot of fun to write this chapter! The Malamar return to control Team Carrot (and no, this Madame X is not Officer Jenny), and Bonnie is a new member of the E4 with Zygarde as her ace. Don't worry, I'll reveal what Clemont is doing later.**

 **Thank you to FrivMasterAnthony2, alrashidtaseen75, and sasshi316 for following! And to RubyOmegaGroudon, alrashidtaseen75, and antheys17 for favoriting my story! You guys are the best.**


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